SOUTH AFRICAN university campuses are burning with revolt. Protests are bursting out across the country over fees, racism, exclusions and the way the apartheid past still shapes education. At least eight universities have seen battles in the past week.

FBU firefighter’s union general secretary Matt Wrack said he won’t be rattled by “people within the Labour party machine who clearly don’t want to see change”. In an exclusive interview with Socialist Worker Wrack responded to claims this week that his attempt to rejoin the Labour Party was questioned by his local party.

The supposedly “anti-austerity” Scottish National Party (SNP) is slashing £500 million from Scottish council budgets this year. The Scottish government’s budget was set to be finalised in Holyrood this week, signalling the start of another round of severe local government cuts.

TEACHERS in West Dunbartonshire struck for 24 hours over cuts on Thursday of last week, shutting all five secondary schools in the council area.The teachers rejected the council’s latest offer by nine to one.

International

The police are currently evicting people from the “Jungle” in Calais. They are going round telling people they have one hour to leave. So far this morning, Friday, they have destroyed five or six shelters.

The vote reflected continuing resistance to austerity, and in particular the powerful campaign against water charges. The left of Labour Anti Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit (AAA/PBP) group and Sinn Fein made significant gains.

Two pieces in Monday’s press define the agony that is beginning to engulf the Tory party. The first, in the Financial Times newspaper, announced, “Big business backs Cameron’s push to keep Britain in the EU.” The second was Boris Johnson’s lengthy explanation in his Telegraph blog explaining why he opted to join the Leave campaign.

The Tory party is in crisis. Half of its MPs, at least six cabinet ministers—plus Boris Johnson—and nearly all the Conservative-backing press oppose David Cameron on the European Union (EU) referendum.